Register or grate cover holder



Oct. 2, 1934. w FROELICH 1,975,686

REGISTER OR GRATE COVER HOLDER Filed Dec. 15, 195-1 Patented Oct. 2, 1934 v UNITED STATES;-

PATENT- oFFioEt a 1,975,686 REGISTERVOR GRATE' COVER HOLDER William Froelich, Evansville, Ind. Application December 15, 1931,' Seria1No. 581,239

3 Claims.

The ordinary hot air register or grate permits smoke and soot to pass into the room, resulting in discoloration of the wall near the register or grate and contaminating the air in the room.

The object of this invention is to combine with a hot air register or grate an improved holder which can be readily applied to the register or grate without requiring the use of an attaching frame or special fastenings and which will maintain itself in position without resort to additional means and serve for the clamping of a strip of rag or a piece of cloth or other textile material to the usual register frame for the purpose of suspending the rag or cloth in front of the usual register so that the cloth will retain soot and hold back the smoke, thereby overcoming the disadvantages previously mentioned.

My improved holder is in a nature of a special clamp which will engage the usual register or grate and while retaining itself thereon will hold the rag or piece of cloth by clamping its upper part against the register frame, thereby, suspending the cloth in front of the register or grate, with adaptability of the cloth to swing outwardly into the room according to the flow of heat. Therefore, the device not only serves as a soot catcher but also as a damper which will open or close to a greater or lesser extent according to the flow of heat or the cessation thereof. When the heat is not flowing, the cloth will lie against the register or grate and will out ofi down-drafts in the flue but when the heat flows, the cloth will swing inwardly and open the register to a greater or lesser extent, according to the flow of heat.

My improved holder secures the cloth in such a manner that when it becomes soiled, it may be quickly and easily removed and a clean piece of cloth substituted.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation, showing the device applied to a hot air register;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, the wall being in section and the cloth in swung-out position;

Figs. 3 and 4 are detailed views of the clamp members; and

Fig. 5 is a view of the complete clamp, without the cloth, the spring being in section.

The wall of a room is shown at 1 and the-metal grate or register appears at 2. Grates or registers of this character usually have a flange which lies against the wall to cover the edges of the opening therein. The heat flue leads to the W5 back of the wall 1 so that the ,hot air will be discharged through the register or grate 2,

My improved holder comprises duplicate clamp members 3 which are drawn toward each other by a contractile spring 4. The angularly disposed ends 5 are adapted to be inserted back of the flange of the register 2 and said clamp members 3 are provided with lugs or hooks 6 with which the eyes 7 on the ends of the spring 4 engage. The clamp members 3 have their parts 3 located inside of the spring 4; this keeps the spring from flexing laterally and guides the members 3' as the clamps 3 are moved when inserting the ends 5 back of the register 2 or when removing the device from the register. The arrangement described also lines up the spring and the horizontal parts of the clamps so as to constitute an extensible clamp for holding the piece of cloth 8 whose upper edge is inserted underneath the spring 4 and the members 3.

The upper edge of the piece of cloth 8 may first be disposed at the top of the register frame 2 and the ends 5 then inserted back of the register frame at the opposite sides thereof, whereupon the upper edge of the cloth 8 is clamped against the upper part of the register 2 but is otherwise free to lie flat against the register frame 2 or to swing outwardly into the room as the currents of hot air pass through the register. When the flow of heat increases, the cloth 8 will swing into the room for a greater extent than when the flow of heat decreases. When the flow ceases, the cloth 8 will lie against the face of the register and cut off down-draft into the flue.

The cloth 8 will catch the soot which would otherwise enter the room and it will also check the flow of smoke, thus preventing the wall from becoming discolored and minimizing the contamination of the air within the room by the products of combustion.

When the cloth 8 becomes soiled or loses its adapt-ability to absorb soot, it can be quickly removed and another cloth substituted.

Preferably, the parts 3, 3', 5 and 6 will be formed of wire bent to the proper shape, such as illustrated.

My invention differs from the ordinary contractile curtain rod or fixture in several respects, among which are, that it holds the cloth against the upper edge of the register without requiring the cloth to be specially strung, and is itself held by the usual register frame without requiring (10 special suspendingbrackets or other means and thus permits rapid application of itself, and of the cloth, to the usual register frame and enables the cloth to be rapidly and easily removed for the substitution of another cloth.

What I claim, is:

1. A holder of the character described, comprising duplicate independent, relatively movable clamp sections each of general L-shape and provided with lugs, and also having means to engage a register or grate, and a contractile coil spring loosely surrounding the stems of said L-shaped members and serving as a support and guide for the relatively movable parts of said clamp sections, the ends of said spring being engaged with the said lugs, said spring being adapted to draw the L-shaped members toward each other to maintain the aforesaid means in engagement with the register or grate and, also, to permit them to be moved or spread away from each other.

2. The combination with a grate or register, of a flexible clamping device having end parts engaged with the register or grate and an intermediate elongated contractile coil spring connected to said end parts and holding them thus engaged with the register, and a piece of pliable material held against said grate or register by the coil spring aforesaid.

3. A register or grate cover holder comprising clamp members, each having bent members adapted to engage the register or grate and also being provided with open lugs or hooks intermediate the ends thereof, and a contractile coil spring which is provided with end parts engaged with said open lugs or hooks, said coil spring containing the inner ends of the clamp members and being adapted, in connection with said clamp members, to secure the cover to the register.

WILLIAM FROELICI-I. 

